Your elderly family member’s body experiences a lot of changes as she ages, and that can mean that her nutritional needs are changing, too. Her doctor can help her to stay aware of what she needs to know in order to get the nutrients that she needs, but your senior might need more help than that. In-home care professionals can offer a lot of the hands-on help that she might need in order to follow the plan that her doctor recommends for her. Here’s more of what you need to know.
Why Is Proper Nutrition Important?
Maintaining proper nutritional levels ensures that your senior can maintain a healthy weight, hang onto her muscle mass, and keep her bones as strong as possible. Her immune system also relies on proper nutrition in order to function correctly, meaning that her body can fight off illnesses and infections when necessary. Your elderly family member’s brain also needs proper nutrients, otherwise she’s more likely to experience cognitive decline and memory loss.
Lack of Appetite Is a Huge Problem
One of the most common issues that seniors face when it comes to seniors and nutrition is a lack of appetite. This can be due to a variety of factors such as medications, dental problems, and chronic illnesses. In-home care providers can work with seniors to find ways to increase their appetite, such as providing small, frequent meals throughout the day, or offering foods that are more appealing and easier to chew. If your senior hasn’t been very physically active lately, caregivers can remind your elderly family member to move a little more.
How Else Does In-home Care Help?
Meal preparation can be another big hurdle. Whether your elderly family member’s biggest issues are with making the meals or shopping for the foods beforehand, in-home care professionals can help. Caregivers can also help to make sure that your aging family member’s meals are balanced, with a good variety of fruits and vegetables along with lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains. If your elderly family member’s doctor recommends a specific diet for her, that can be a lot easier to stick to with help from in-home care providers.
Paying Attention to Routines Is Also Important
Routines help to support your senior’s overall health and well-being every single day, especially if she takes medications, needs to exercise, or has to pay attention to other special variables in order to stay healthy. In-home care professionals help your elderly family member to stay on track with her routines. When something needs adjusting or your senior needs additional help, there’s someone there with her who can offer help right away.
Ignoring nutrition can lead to bigger problems for your elderly family member. While it’s tempting to let her eat whatever she wants, whether it’s nutritionally healthy or not, that doesn’t do your senior any good ultimately. In-home care professionals can help your elderly family member to find the balance that she needs to live her best life while getting the nutrients her body needs.